Judge says some who say they can't speak English are faking it
CONYERS, Ga. The next time a defendant says he or she can't speak English -- a judge in Georgia is going to demand proof. Rockdale County judge Sidney Nation says some people are pretending not to be fluent -- just to delay criminal proceedings. And he says the public defenders' office is already over its budget for interpreters.
In August, there were four interpreters in court during the plea proceedings for some Vietnamese defendants. The judge eventually found out that three of the defendants could speak English -- and two of them had graduated from American high schools.
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